Ball catcher with shock absorbing bumpers



May 30, 1967 y B. P. zuLKos'Kl i 3,322,425 V BALL CATCHEB WITH SHOCKABSORBING BUMPERS Filed June 19, 1964 Y INVENTOR.

50a/VO P2M/05W United States Patent O Extension,

The present invention relates to an amusement apparatus designed forplaying and catching balls, and more particularly relates to an improvedball-catching apparatus adapted to receive balls thrown at high impactvelocities without damage or disadvantageous effects on a wall or otherapparatus, and for transmitting or directing the ball through a chuteback toward the ball-thrower after the ball has given up all its impactenergy. In this way, a ball is not bounced off of the wall-receivingmeans since it may bounce off into undesired areas. Replaceable targetassemblies may be detachably secured upon the ballreceiving means. Also,the invention contemplates that the chute for dispensing the ball backtoward the ballthrower may be temporarily blocked by a wad of paper orsimilar means for retaining the balls within the ball catcher.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide aball-catcher apparatus for absorbing the impact and shock of a thrownball that has been thrown from a short distance to the ball-receivingapparatus. The ballcatcher apparatus receives and absorbs the impact ofthe shock, allows the ball to drop to the bottom of the ballcatcherapparatus where it c-an either be retained or passed through a chute anddirected for return to the ball-thrower. The invention contemplates theuse of baseballs, softballs, rubber balls, and the like, that can bethrown from a short distance toward a target area of the ball-catchin-gapparatus.

The apparatus of the invention has the advantage that it is useful toanyone who desires to practice throwing or pitching a ball to test hiscapabilities with a given target, but has no one available to catch theball for him.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ballcatching apparatusfor use as a game of skill between various players or ball-throwers soas to test and indicate the accuracy of such ball-throwers.

A further 4object of the invention is to provide means on theball-receiving and catching apparatus for removably mounting varioustargets, such targets capable of depicting a series of stacked milkbottles or other similar targets.

A further feature of the invention is that the ballcatcher apparatus ofthe invention may be mounted either indoors or outdoors, and may be leftup in its mounted position either permanently or taken down when not 1nuse.

A very important object of the present invention resides in theprovision of an apparatus which is exceedingly simple in construction,inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable, thoroughly efficient andreliable in use, cornpact and convenient, and otherwise well adapted tothe purpose for which it is intended.

Certain novel features of construction and the combination ofarrangement of parts will be hereinafter more fully described, andillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of a ball-catcher apparatus constructed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view taken in crosssection along lines 33 and shown `on a slightly larger scale.

Referring now to the drawings, a ball-catcher apparatus 10 is shownmounted from a U-shaped supporting rod 12 in which the free end thereofis shown bent downwardly in FIG. 3 to be received in supporting brackets16. The U-shaped rod may be constructed of either a strong, hollow metaltubing or it may be made of a cylindrically disposed solid metal rod.The supporting brackets 16 are shown secured to a wall 1S by boltsappropriately disposed about the supporting bracket and engaging thewall 18.

The ball-receiving apparatus 10 is shown to comprise a -generallyrectangularly disposed ball-receiving apparatus 20 that has a generallyand substantially resiliently stiff material 22 extending around theperiphery of the rectangularly disposed ball receiving apparatus. Theresiliently sti material 22 may be material such as wood or plastic, andthe material 22 in the upper periphery of the ball receiving apparatus20 is provided with hooks 24, 24 for engaging S hooks 26, 26. The upperbranch of the S hooks 26, 26 is adapted to be received in respectiverecessed portions 28, 28 of the U-shaped rod 12. In this fashion, themounting of the ball-receiving apparatus is generally securely andpermanently positioned in a stationary fashion upon the U-shaped rod 12,and the ballreceiving apparatus 20 hangs substantially verticallytherefrom in spatial relation to the wall 18.

From the lower and rear portion of the ball-receiving means 20 there ismounted at least a pair of shock dispensing rods 30, each of which issecurely mounted for extending generally perpendicularly from the rearsurface of the ball-receiving means and having the free ends of theshock dispensing rods providing a small gap of generally one inch fromthe wall 18. The free ends of the shock dispensing rods may be mountedwith rubber-tips -or cups 34 in order to provide a non-damaging contactas well as a noiseless contact of the shock dispensing rods 30 as theyare caused to impact against the wall 18.

The bottom of the ball-receiving means 20 is generally configured forsloping toward a central point or area 36, and extending below the area36 is a chute 38 having a diameter that is sufficiently large forpassing at least most balls that the ball-receiver means may encounter.The central and rear rectangular portion of the ball-receiving means isconstructed of a rectangularly disposed sheet of pliable material 40which may be in laminar form and constructed of such materials asplastic, canvas, rubber, Fiberglas, and the like, for receiving theimpact of balls that are thrown into and upon material 40. Alongmarginal portions of each side of the material 40 there are positionedand secured snap elements 42, 42 for receiving complementary snapelements (not shown) to which is attached a target or `a bulls-eye ofany desired material in sheet form (not shown). Thus a different targetmay be mounted upon the material 40 by snapping another one on topthereof, but the material 40 may contain thereon a bulls-eye that ispainted or otherwise illustrated thereon. It is also noted that thechute 38 may have a turned portion or reduced diameter section 44, asshown in FIG. 3, for receiving a blocking means such as a wad of paperfor retaining and impeding the passage of balls from the bottom of theball-receiving means.

The use of the ball-catching apparatus is demonstrated by throwing aball of any degree of impact velocity upon the ball-receiving means 20,generally aimed toward the target area of material 40, and the impact ofthe ball upon the material 40 is such to cause the entire ballreceivingmeans to pivot slightly upon the U-shaped rod 12 in -a generallyrearward action as shown in dotted line in FIG. 3. Thus `theball-receiving means 20 moves slightly and definitely toward the wall.The shock dispensing rods which are constructed of metal are displacedsufficiently so that the gap area between the free end of the shockdispensing rods and the wall 18 is eliminated and the rubber tips orcups 34 are caused to come into contact with the wall. The shockdispensing rods thus prevent the ball-receiving means 20 from furtherswinging toward the wall, and thus the motion of the ball is brought toa zero component in the horizontal direction, and the ball drops due tothe force of gravity toward the sloped area 36 of the ball-receivingmeans. Thus the bending and displacement of the pliable material 40absorbs and dispenses as well as transfers the impact from the ball tothe ball-receiving means through the shock dispensing rods 30 to thewall 18. Thus the invention provides a game apparatus that provides theadvantages of protecting a ball from heavy and hard impact upon a wallin the absence of the use of such apparatus, and the apparatus of theinvention protects the wall from being hit with solid objects.

By the use and teaching of the present invention, there is provided anexceedingly simple device for the use and exercise in improvement ofbaseball and other ball players who are enabled to practice and playwithout the assistance of other persons. Also the device of theinvention provides a game apparatus for use by groups for providing anaccurate analysis and demonstration of ball playing qualities.

It should be understood that the specic apparatus herein illustrated anddescribed is intended to be representative only as many changes may bemade therein without departing from the clear teachings of theinvention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claimsin determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. Ball-catching apparatus comprising a U-shaped supporting rod, a pairof supporting brackets for mounting the ends of the supporting rod on awall, rectangularly disposed ball-receiving means having resilientlystiff material formed about a ball impact area thereof, saidballreceiving means being mounted upon and from said U- shaped rod byS-shaped hooks, means supporting pliable material from the resilientlystii material of said ballreceiving means, said pliable material beingdisposed about the ball impact area and for receiving the impact of athrown ball, the resiliently stiff material forming the bottom thereofbeing sloped to form a chute for allowing the ball to roll therefromafter it has lost its impact velocity, shock dispensing rods mountedfrom the rear of the ball-receiving means and extending toward said wallhaving its free ends thereof forming a gap of small dimension from saidwall but not contacting said wall except upon impact of the ball on theball-receiving means for then closing said gap for transferring andabsorbing said impact from the ball to said wall, rubber cups beingprovided and mounted upon the free ends of said shock dispensing rods,and snap means marginally disposed about the pliable material forsecuring thereon by said snaps other complementary snaps for supportingtarget means.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the chute is tapered froma large ball-receiving opening to a smaller ball-passing outlet.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 715,249 12/1902 Dunbar 273--105794,601 7/1905 Ford et al 273-102.4 X 822,558 6/1906 Smith 273-1032,819,921 1/1958 Solari 16-86 `RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, M. R. PAGE,

Assistant Examiners.

1. BALL-CATCHING APPARATUS COMPRISING A U-SHAPED SUPPORTING ROD, A PAIROF SUPPORTING BRACKETS FOR MOUNTING THE ENDS OF THE SUPPORTING ROD ON AWALL, RECTANGULARLY DISPOSED BALL-RECEIVING MEANS HAVING RESILIENTLYSTIFF MATERIAL FORMED ABOUT A BALL IMPACT ARE THEREOF, SAIDBALLRECEIVING MEANS BEING MOUNTED UPON AND FROM SAID USHAPED ROD BYS-SHAPED HOOKS, MEANS SUPPORTING PLIABLE MATERIAL FROM THE RESILIENTLYSTIFF MATERIAL OF SAID BALLRECEIVING MEANS, SAID PLIABLE MATERIAL BEINGDISPOSED ABOUT THE BALL IMPACT AREA AND FOR RECEIVING THE IMPACT OF ATHROWN BALL, THE RESILIENTLY STIFF MATERIAL FORMING THE BOTTOM THEREOFBEING SLOPED TO FORM A CHUTE FOR ALLOWING THE BALL TO ROLL THEREFROMAFTER IT HAS LOST ITS IMPACT VELOCITY, SHOCK DISPENSING RODS MOUNTEDFROM THE REAR